


i've got the prettiest of views (but it sure would be prettier with you)

by sicilliana



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, Goro Akechi is a Gay Disaster, M/M, Stardew Valley AU, with the tiniest bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28331562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sicilliana/pseuds/sicilliana
Summary: Futaba grinned, kicking her feet like a child. "You like him, don't you?"Akira pouted as he slid a mocha towards her. "I do not.""Sure you don't. You just planned all your shifts around seeing him at the cafe and you go out of your way to give him his evening coffee because ..."Akira sighed. "... okay, maybe I do like him, just a little bit."(Stardew Valley AU)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 142





	i've got the prettiest of views (but it sure would be prettier with you)

**Author's Note:**

> A Secret Santa gift to Phoenix. :)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

As Akira stepped off the bus and set his luggage down, he took a deep breath, just to see if the country air was really cleaner. After a few more breaths, he accepted that he really couldn’t tell the difference between the air in the city and the air here in Stardew Valley, but it definitely _felt_ cleaner. He briefly thought about the city - his parents, both neglectful, trying to force him onto a path that would be lucrative but not at all what he wanted - and shook his head, as if to clear his mind. No, that was all in the past now. Here, in Pelican Town, he was _free._

His uncle Sojiro approached - well, “uncle,” they weren’t related by blood. As he grabbed Akira’s luggage, he asked, “Good trip?”

Akira nodded, and added, _“Long_ trip.”

Sojiro chuckled and motioned back towards the way he came. “Let’s stretch those legs, then. I got a lot to show you.”

Akira bounced on his feet excitedly. This was the start of his new life - _nothing_ could bring him down.

When Sojiro said the tour of Leblanc Roastery and Cafe would be “abbreviated,” Akira thought it would take a few minutes. Instead, Sojiro ended the tour as the sun was setting, and Akira fell down on one of the counter seats in the cafe, all his energy from earlier already spent. Wordlessly, Sojiro moved behind the counter and began making drinks. Akira chuckled to himself as he mused that this was one of the best perks of working on a roastery: caffeine whenever he wanted. Sojiro poured two travel cups and slid one to Akira.

As he took a sip, Akira asked, “You usually get an ‘after-work’ cup?”

To his surprise, Sojiro shook his head. “This is for a customer. Now, come on - there’s a reason I didn’t put your drink in a mug. I still gotta show you the town.”

Akira groaned. “You weren’t kidding about stretching my legs, were you?”

Sojiro sighed and shook his head. “This won’t take near as long. I don’t need you getting lost if I send you to the general store or the mayor’s house tomorrow. Now, let’s go.”

Grumbling under his breath, Akira slowly stood up and trailed behind Sojiro as he started pointing out areas of interest.

The town square was only slightly bigger than Sojiro’s farmland; there was the general store, the clinic, and the saloon (Sojiro was oddly insistent with the terminology after Akira tried calling it a restaurant). The mayor’s house was just beyond the saloon, and Sojiro mentioned a blacksmith and library, but his tone implied that Akira would be too busy with the roastery and cafe to ever see these buildings.

Sojiro paused to take a few breaths, as if the fatigue of the day had finally hit him. “I think that’s it, mostly …” he mused. “It’s Wednesday, so everyone’s probably at home, eating dinner. Except for …”

As if on cue, someone emerged from the general store, looking like he desperately needed several shots of espresso. His brown hair was tousled and disheveled from the day’s work, with a worn-out general store apron thrown over weathered medical scrubs.

 _(He worked at the store_ and _the clinic? No wonder he looked dead ...)_

His dull garnet eyes brightened slightly at the sight of Sojiro - or rather, at the sight of the coffee in Sojiro’s hand. He grabbed the cup and gulped down half of the drink before meekly saying, “You don’t have to keep doing this, Sakura-san …”

Sojiro sighed. “It’s your mother, you know. Pays me a little extra in the morning so you don’t fall asleep making dinner. Again.”

The boy frowned as his ears turned pink. “It only happened once …”

“And now it’ll never happen again,” Sojiro pointed out. He turned to Akira and explained, “This here is one of our regulars. Did you catch the way I was making his drink earlier?”

Oh, crap. Sojiro was testing him already? Akira racked his brain, trying to remember all the steps to making all the drinks for the cafe - was it a pour-over? Or was it made with a French press? Did he add any flavorings?

Akira’s mind slowed down as he remembered that Sojiro had made the same drink for both of them. He took a few sips of the coffee he had and answered, “Hm … mostly steamed milk, espresso shot, and, um … some nut flavor?”

Sojiro raised his eyebrows, impressed. “Two espresso shots, and hazelnut. Not bad for a rookie. Anyway, Goro, this is Akira Kurusu.”

The other boy smiled - or at least, he tried. Akira guessed that until the caffeine kicked in, he might fall over at any second. He held out his free hand and said, “Ah, so you’re Sakura-san’s new hire. I’m Goro Akechi. Please remember that I take two espresso shots with my drinks.”

Akira couldn’t help but grin as he shook his hand. “Can you taste the amount of shots or something?”

Without a hint of shame, Goro replied, “No, I’ll pass out midway through my store shift if you only give me one.”

The grin dropped off of Akira’s face. “Is … is that a joke?”

Looking especially stern, Sojiro answered, “No. Come on, you’ve got a lot of training to do before you man the cafe counter tomorrow morning.”

Akira blinked. “I’m _what?”_

Goro giggled, and Akira swore his heart skipped a beat. With a more genuine-looking smile, he said, “I guess I’ll see you at six o’clock tomorrow morning, Kurusu.”

Akira’s last non-coffee-related thought for the night was how much he looked forward to seeing Goro.

* * *

♥♥♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

After a few weeks working on the grounds, Akira finally fell into a comfortable schedule. He started his day behind the cafe counter, serving coffee to what seemed like most of the town before the sun rose. Late mornings were dedicated to walking the floor of the roastery, and he returned to the cafe for one more shift (again serving most of the Pelican Town residents coming in for an afternoon pick-me-up) before finally getting some free time to himself.

It didn’t take long for Futaba to start theorizing that Akira had sculpted his schedule around Goro’s visits to the cafe, but he always denied it.

(Even if it was a little bit true.)

As he put on his apron and settled into his second cafe shift of the day, Goro shuffled in, only a few minutes late.

“Hey,” Akira greeted warmly.

Goro grumbled something under his breath as he slid onto one of the counter chairs, with less grace than usual. Akira was trying his best not to stare, but the bags under Goro's eyes were much more prominent today. Even Sojiro, who was usually coldly professional to most of the clientele, was visibly concerned.

Akira cleared his throat. "The usual, then?"

Goro's face fell into his hands as he massaged his temples. "Add two more espresso shots, please."

Akira paused and thought out loud, "Two … but that would bring it to four shots … that's - that's dangerous, isn't it -"

"I didn't _ask_ if it was dangerous or not," Goro growled. "Make the drink."

Akira glanced to Sojiro for help, but he shook his head and motioned to the espresso machine. But despite his silent command to continue the order, Akira could hear Sojiro trying to chat up Goro, asking if there was anything wrong.

Unfortunately, this was the wrong thing to do; Akira was startled by someone slamming a fist on the counter.

"There's nothing wrong!" Goro hissed. "Everyone keeps asking, and the answer is no!"

Which meant something was _definitely_ wrong. But at this rate, if he tried to deny Goro his drink, he would probably make a scene. Maybe, if he stood in the right spot, he could hide the fact that he was only adding two shots to the drink -

Behind him, Goro cleared his throat loudly. "Four shots, _please,"_ he said in a way that was less than polite. 

Akira bit his lip and finished making the drink as requested. Gingerly, he set the mug in front of Goro. In another uncharacteristic move, he chugged down the entire drink. Akira watched the remaining color drain from his cheeks as his face scrunched up from the searing heat down his throat. His stomach gurgled in protest, his hand automatically moved to his mouth, Akira knew what was about to happen -

“Bathroom!” Akira blurted out.

Goro dashed to the cafe’s restroom just in time. As the loud retching sounds echoed through the cafe, Sojiro marched towards Goro, motioning for Akira to stay where he was. Naturally, Akira ignored his orders and followed closely. It didn’t take long for Goro to empty his stomach, and Sojiro started questioning him immediately.

“So. When was the last time you ate?” he asked pointedly.

After a few rattling breaths, Goro replied, “What’s it to you?”

Sojiro sighed. “Kid, if you or your mom need food, just ask. I got a lot more than I can sell, and so does the saloon.”

Goro punched the restroom wall. “No! I’m not - we’re not - we’re not the charity case -”

Sojiro folded his arms. “You two aren’t in the city anymore. No one - and I mean, _no one_ \- is calling you that. It’s just Stardew hospitality to help neighbors out. Now sit down and I’ll make you some curry.”

Goro turned around and tried to look intimidating, but he was still weak on his feet. “But - I need to get to work soon -” he protested.

“Your shift at the general store?” Sojiro asked as he headed back to the kitchen. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll call Okumura and let him know you’re sick.”

“But -”

Sojiro shot him a cold glare, silencing him instantly. “Seriously? Do you _want_ to give your mom a harder time? You can’t help take care of her if you don’t take care of yourself, too.”

Goro sighed, defeated, and took a seat at the counter. Akira gently set a cup of water in front of him, trying not to unintentionally incur his wrath. Goro stared at it like it might be poisoned, but took a drink anyway. His entire posture changed as he set the glass down; now that he didn’t have to maintain a mask of cold perfection, he fell apart like a marionette with cut strings.

Akira tugged at the ends of his apron. He wanted to do _something,_ but what? Without thinking too much about the idea, he said, “You know, you can stay here for the rest of the afternoon if you need the rest.”

“I don’t,” he responded curtly.

Behind them, in the kitchen, Sojiro cleared his throat loudly.

Goro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, I _do_ need the rest, but I can do that at home.”

Akira was disheartened for a moment, but then he came up with a better idea. “Well then, let me walk you home.”

Goro frowned as he gripped the glass tighter. “I don’t need your pity, Kurusu.”

Akira stood square in front of him, folding his arms. “It’s _not_ pity. I care about you and I want you to get home safe.”

Goro’s lips thinned as his eyes travelled up and down Akira, as if he were trying to find some evidence that he was lying. Finding none, he slumped forward and grumbled, “Fine.”

Akira couldn’t help but see that the ends of Goro’s lips curled upwards, like he was trying to hide a smile.

* * *

♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡♡♡

Ever since that day, Akira wanted to think that he and Goro were closer. Even when he was exhausted or even sick (he insisted that it was allergies, but Sojiro saw right through him), Goro always showed up in the mornings and the afternoons. Every day, he looked forward to their conversations, and every day, he hoped to finally make him smile.

(The more he heard about his situation and his past, the more he thought that Goro had maybe forgotten how to smile.)

Akira slipped his apron on for his afternoon shift, bouncing excitedly in place like it was Christmas morning. As he arrived at the cafe, the usual customers were already sitting at the counter (Makoto, who was picking up lattes for herself and her older sister, and Ann, waiting for a caramel mocha). In no time, Akira had prepared their drinks and sent them off with some small talk and a promise to join them for their Friday night saloon get-togethers. Next would be Haru, picking up three drinks for her family, at about five past two.

And next, at two-ten, it would be Goro, grabbing a pick-me-up in the space between his clinic shift and his general store shift.

Any time. Any time now. Akira glanced at the clock again. Two-ten already. Getting awfully close to two-eleven.

Akira wrung the edge of his apron. It wasn’t like Goro to be late, but it had only been a minute. Maybe he was just … walking kind of slow today.

Three hours later, Akira ran out of excuses. The distress must have shown on his face; when Sojiro came in for the closing shift, he gently asked, “Hey, kid. You okay?”

Akira tried to put on an unassuming smile as he answered, “Nothing. Just, um …”

Futaba, who normally never left the house, poked her head out from behind Sojiro and giggled, “Is it Akechi?”

“No!” Akira immediately responded. “I - uh - it was just -”

Futaba smirked and shook her head. “I have the cafe bugged. I know Akechi didn’t come in this afternoon.”

It took a moment for Akira to properly process Futaba’s words, but when he did -

“Wait, you have the cafe _bugged?”_ Akira started scanning the ceilings, trying to look for unobtrusive electronics.

Sojiro sighed and placed a hand on Futaba’s shoulder. “Don’t mind her. It’s good for security … if anyone in Pelican Town actually _wanted_ to break in. Now, come on.” He gently pushed her forward. “You can’t hide behind your microphones and computer screen anymore.”

Futaba pouted. “But I already know everything about everyone! Why do I have to - to actually _talk_ to them?”

Akira paused. Did she _actually_ know everything about everyone?

Sojiro shook his head. “Honey, you overheard all those things about people without them knowing. Don’t you think that’s a little weird?”

“No,” she chirped.

“Wait,” Akira interrupted. “You - do you really know everything about everyone?”

Sojiro grimaced. “Don’t encourage her …”

Futaba beamed. “So, Akechi, right?” Akira was too embarrassed to reply, so she continued, “After you went to the roastery floor this morning, Ann came in and said something about her having to take Akechi’s shift this afternoon. Guess he needed the time off? Anyway, he’s either at home or he’s got this spot near the mountain lake where he likes to sit and relax.”

Sojiro stared at her, dumbfounded. “Why do you - _how_ do you -”

Akira didn’t hear a word past that; after hastily making Goro’s usual drink, he stepped out with a travel mug.

After several minutes of searching and almost tripping on tree roots, Akira finally found Goro, leaning against a tree, watching the wind send ripples across the lake. As quietly as he could, he sidled up to him and greeted, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Goro murmured, his eyes never leaving the horizon. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

Akira frowned. “How did you know?”

Goro smirked. “I could hear your panting from a mile away. Do you want to catch your breath for a little bit?”

Pouting, Akira slipped the drink into Goro’s hands. “Here, before you’re too mean to me and I decide to drink it myself.”

Instead of another snarky comment, Goro studied the cup in his hand, his face flushing. After a few moments of silence, he timidly said, “... you didn’t have to do this.”

Akira pressed his shoulder to Goro’s. “You didn’t show up this afternoon. I missed talking to you.”

Goro blinked and he gripped the cup tighter. “... you … _missed_ me?”

Akira tilted his head. “Um … of course?”

Talking more to the cup than to Akira, Goro murmured, “I didn’t think anyone would miss me.”

“Hm?” Akira leaned forward, hoping that he didn’t just hear what he thought he heard. “Akechi?”

Goro shook his head and took a sip of his hazelnut latte. “It’s nothing.”

The rest of the afternoon passed in peace, with the two boys pressed close together.

* * *

♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡♡♡

Akira lifted his hand to knock on the door and froze, his heart beating faster. Why was he so nervous? He had walked Goro home dozens of times; why was _entering_ the house so hard?

Of course, Akira wasn’t sure it could be called a “house” - it was simply a trailer home by the riverside, but it was clean and well-kept. Impressive, considering that both of its occupants spent most of their waking hours working.

Taking a deep breath, Akira finally knocked on the door, keeping a tight grip on the casserole dish cradled in his other arm. Within a few seconds, a stranger answered the door - albeit a stranger that looked remarkably like Goro. Her face was older and more tired, but she shared Goro’s soft brown hair and garnet eyes that seemed to glitter in the right light. 

“Hello?” she answered. “Oh, you must be Sojiro’s boy! Come in, come in …” She opened the door further, revealing a perfectly clean and organized interior.

Akira carefully entered the house, making sure to wipe off his shoes. After he was sure he wasn’t tracking in any dirt or mud, he held out the dish. “Here, it’s from Sojiro.”

“Ah, his famous curry. Thank you,” she said cheerily as she lifted the dish from his hands and moved it to the kitchen. “Everyone in this town is exceedingly kind …” She stared off into the distance as if she were recalling some memory, but she shook her head, returning to reality. “Say, you’re from the city, aren’t you, Kurusu-kun?”

“Um, yeah,” Akira replied, scratching the back of his head. He knew that the Akechis were from the city, of course, but that was all from gossip around the town; he thought it would be rude to bring it up, so he remained silent.

She started pacing the living room, with her voice taking on a light, dreamy air. “You know, when we moved here from the city, I thought it would be temporary - just a way to get back on my feet before finding another job elsewhere. But the longer we stayed, the longer I loved it. And I thought Goro was liking it, too, but he spent all his days working and saving for when we moved away to ‘someplace better.’ I don’t think he actually liked living here until you arrived.”

Akira couldn’t help but blush. “I, uh - what?”

She chuckled. “Don’t tell him I told you this, but he’s been _much_ happier since you came to town.”

Akira took a moment to reflect on the Goro Akechi he knew: surly, sarcastic Goro who never minced words with him and who had an opinion on damn near everything, but also the soft, vulnerable Goro that he only saw after very long days and at the mountain lake. He had only smiled a handful of times, but each time was a treasured memory.

And all that was considered _happier?_

Under his breath, Akira sighed, “If that’s ‘happy,’ I’d hate to see how he was before …”

His comment sent her into a laughing fit that took a few minutes to get over. Still wiping tears from her eyes, she said, “It definitely wasn’t pleasant. But now he’s getting out more, actually talking to more of the kids in the town - you know, before, he wouldn’t even give them the time of day - he actually joins everyone at the saloon on Fridays, and oh - the face he makes every time he leaves the cafe after he’s talked to you -”

Akira furrowed his brow. “He makes a face?”

She grinned, pausing to scribble something on a notepad. “Well, it’s very subtle, but I know my son. He hasn’t looked that relaxed or content in years. I haven’t had the chance to properly thank you for brightening my son’s life, so ...” She tore off the top page and handed it to Akira. What was this - a recipe for roasted hazelnut pancakes?

“It’s his favorite,” she explained. “Fall’s coming up, so hazelnuts should be easy to come across in the woods.”

Akira pocketed the recipe and shook her hand. “Thank you. I promise I’ll try to make him smile more.”

She patted his head. “You don’t need to try, my dear. You just do.”

* * *

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡

For the past few weeks, Goro had been using the cafe as a study room - not that Akira minded. One winter day, he simply showed up in the afternoon with a large stack of books and asked not to be disturbed unless absolutely necessary. Akira expected to have to wrestle an explanation out of him, but after a stack of roasted hazelnut pancakes (Akira _swore_ that he muttered something about his mother under his breath), he confessed that he had quit his job at the general store and was studying to try to get into college.

For the most part, Akira left him alone, only coming by to refill his drink and offer some pancakes or curry, but some days, he _really_ missed their conversations. Fortunately, he knew what a burned-out student looked like from his short stint in community college and stepped in whenever Goro’s eyes started glazing over.

As Goro leaned back in his chair, sipping on his refilled latte, he said, “Thanks for everything you’re doing, Kurusu.”

Akira gave him a look and cleared his throat.

Goro’s cheeks instantly turned scarlet as he corrected himself, “I mean … thanks, Akira.”

Akira smirked. “Was that so hard?”

Goro pouted. “I’m just … not used to it, is all.”

Akira chuckled to himself as he flipped through one of Goro’s books. “So what are you trying to take up? I guess nursing, since you kept the clinic job?”

Goro shook his head and gently closed the book. “The clinic job just paid more. I’m actually trying to go into accounting.”

Akira nodded, thoughts swirling in his head. Goro was always trying to find ways to make more money and support his mother. Accounting was a surefire way of granting that financial security; in fact, Akira’s own parents were pushing him towards that sort of career before he broke away and decided he would carve his own path.

As he tried to clear those awful memories from his mind, Akira muttered, “I suppose you could send lots of money back to your mom, but accountants work a lot - you probably won’t have too much time to come back and visit her.”

Goro nodded, biting his lip. “I … can find something closer to here, I think.” Their eyes briefly met before he turned to grab another book from his stack. “There are a few things in Stardew Valley that I’d rather not leave behind.”

Akira raised an eyebrow. “Things? Plural? Like, something other than your mom?”

The red returned to Goro’s face as he stammered, “Um, yeah? Like - like the mountain lake - the sunsets are marvelous up there, you know -”

Akira chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve watched a few of them with you.” Leaning forward, he lowered his voice to a sultry whisper. “Come on, is there a special someone you’d be missing?”

Goro growled as he buried his nose in a book, trying to hide his face. “Just - just make me some of those pancakes, would you?!”

With a hearty laugh, Akira replied, “As you wish.”

As he focused on making another stack of pancakes, Goro lowered the book, studying Akira with a gentle fondness.

* * *

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Akira double checked the message on his phone: _“Meet me at our usual spot near the lake. 7pm.”_ His heart was beating so fast he thought he would have a heart attack soon; Goro was leaving for college tomorrow - this _had_ to be important. He really hoped this wasn’t one of those “you’ve been such a good friend” talks - the bouquet hidden away in his bag would be awkward otherwise.

According to most of the adults in town, gifting one of the general store’s special bouquets was an formal, unspoken way of asking someone out. It was a stroke of luck that he went to the general store as soon as they opened - they had only one left, and it would be a few more days until Haru had arranged the next batch.

Thunder rumbled on the horizon, and Akira cursed. He had neglected to bring an umbrella, and the rain would certainly ruin the delicate flowers. Careful not to rustle his bag too much, he headed to the mountain lake, hoping their meeting wouldn’t take too long. When he arrived, Goro was already waiting there, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

An uncomfortable silence settled over the two as they wrung their hands. Speaking at the same time, they said, “So, I -”

This time, Akira couldn’t help but chuckle as he bowed his head in embarrassment. “Okay, sorry. You go first.”

This made Goro even _more_ anxious, judging from his fidgeting and increased glancing at his own jacket pocket. “Um … I …” He took a deep breath and continued, “You know those other things that I’d miss about Stardew Valley that I mentioned?”

“Mm-hmm?” Akira stepped closer, certain that Goro could feel his elevated heartbeat in the small space between them.

“It’s you,” he blurted out. “It’s - it’s all you.”

The rest of the world slowed down, and the ambient sounds of nature, including the approaching rain, were drowned out by Akira’s pulse ringing in his ears. “Oh. So. Um.” He gripped the shoulder strap of his bag tighter. 

“I’m not going to leave you here, I refuse to,” Goro said, sounding as if he were just trying to push out all his words before his anxiety silenced him. “I know Sakura-san is leaving Leblanc to you and Futaba, and I know she’s going to focus on selling Leblanc’s coffee beans online, but I just thought -” He gasped for air like he was drowning, but the words kept flowing out of his mouth. “I can’t help with planting the beans, or roasting them, and I can’t make a latte without poisoning someone, but maybe - just maybe - I can keep all of your finances straight? I just -” He paused to breathe, looking alarmingly close to tears. “I want to be useful to you. I want to - I want to _be_ with you. For … for as long as you’ll have me.”

Akira’s brain short-circuited; it felt like he had forgotten every single word in the English language. He wanted to say that yes, _yes,_ he wanted Goro to be with him for the rest of his life -

Instead, he stuttered, “Oh. Um. Uh. I …”

With a pained look on his face, Goro took a sparkling seashell pendant out of his jacket pocket. It looked familiar, _so_ familiar, like he’d seen a picture of it -

“Well, I guess this is my fault for springing this on you last minute …” he sighed. “But this, this is a, er … something special that I wanted to give you. Can you just -” He held the pendant out, turning away from Akira. “Just … hold on to this while you think about it? You - you don’t have to give me an answer right away.”

Thunder echoed, much closer this time, as Akira realized where he had seen the pendant before - and more importantly, what this pendant _actually_ meant.

“Wait.” With shaking hands, Akira pulled the bouquet out of his bag. “Isn’t it tradition that I give this to you first?”

Goro looked like he was hit by a truck. “What - that - you - it was _you_ that bought the last one?”

Akira nodded, feeling breathless. “Yeah. I’ve been living here for a year, year-and-a-half. You don’t think I’d pick up on town traditions in that time?”

Goro stared at the pendant in his hand and turned an impossible shade of red. “So …”

With a sheepish grin, Akira said, “If you were counting on me _not_ knowing that this pendant is the traditional proposal in this town … I know.”

Goro turned around in a half-hearted attempt to hide his embarrassment. “Well then. I guess I’ll just …”

More thunder. Akira could hear the wave of rain heading towards them.

Goro looked up. “Maybe I’ll just … get struck by lightning.”

“Oh, no you don’t -” 

In one fluid movement, Akira closed the space between them, turned Goro around, and leaned forward to kiss him. After a moment’s hesitation, he felt him press against him, felt his arms wrap tightly around him, they were already so close, but he wanted to be closer, _both_ of them wanted to be closer -

Akira pulled away momentarily to say, “Yes. _Yes.”_

Goro blinked, clearly in a daze. “Huh?”

“Your proposal. Yes.”

His garnet eyes brightened and he smiled as the rain fell around them. He pulled Akira back for another, deeper kiss.


End file.
